Cash register and indicator



(No MOGGI.)

11. B. 111111111011. CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR. No. 440,116. PatentedN0v.4, 1890.

7MB .1 Zia/"new".

HENRY B. REN\VIOK, .OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.,

CASH REGISTER COMPANY, OF DAYTON,

SPECIFICATION forming p ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL OI'IIO.

CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY B. RENWICK, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, in theState of New York,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cash Registers andIndicators,

of which the following erence being had to ings, forming part of this Myinvention relates mechanism of such is to simplify and cheapen thereof.

In the accompanying I 5 trated my invention usual well-known Figure 1represent drawings 1 have illusas applied to one of the styles of thesemachines.

s a side elevation of such machine, partly in section; and Figs. 2 and 3show enlarged details of the and indicator-rods.

supporting-bar The operating parts of the machine are supported in atram e-work consisting of the two side frames A A, connected and bracedby suitable cross bars or rods, and are to be inclosed in the usu .1case or cabinet, (not shown) having a slotted front portion throughwhich the forward ends of the operating-keys project, and aglass-covered in its upper rear portion, through which the exposed toview. ing-keys B are pivoted on a shaft O at the front of the machine,ends are provided with 0 indicators are finger-buttons D. 5 normally theside frames operated play up a The rear ends of the keys rest on across-piece E, connecting A A, and when the keys are reading-opening Theoperatand their projecting the usual numbered nd down in slots in aguide-plate F. Resting one on the rear end of each of the keys 4oindicator-supports G, free to down in suitable gu at their upper endswith indicators or 1, bearing numbers the finger-buttons has on its rear13 are the tablet-rods or move up and and provided tablets ides n 11',

corresponding to those on D. Each of the rods G side a cam or wedge J,having an inclined upper surface and terminating in an abrupt shoulderat its lower end. These cams J co-operate with a supportingbar K,

which extends across the entire series of rods,

and is hung at its ends by ears or side arms L on pivots hhpro ec tingfrom the side frames (No model.)

A A. Its own gravity causes it to normally rest in the position shown inFig. 1, against a pin N, projecting from the side frame A, though aspring may be employed to yield- 5 5 ingly hold it in that position, ifdesired. The front side of the bar K has two projectionsone X, uponwhich the rods rest when up; the other O, against which the cams of therods strike in rising, so as to completely disengage any rod restingupon X.

As the finger-button D of any key is depressed, the corresponding rod Gis lifted, and as its beveled cam or wedge .I strikes the lower edge ofthe bar K the latter is pushed backward, and still farther backward whenthe cam strikes the projection 0. As the rod descends the bar falls backto the position shown in Fig. 1, and catches the cam on the projectionX, as seen in Fig. 2, and thereby holds the rod and table elevated whenthe operating-key is released and falls back to normal position. \Vhenthe finger-button of another key is now depressed and its red G isthereby lifted, the cam J on the latter will engage the lower edge ofthe bar K and push it backward, as did the projectionon the pre-'iously-elevated rod. Just as the cam on the second rod clears theprojection X, the cams on the two rods will be in line with each other,and if the parts were all constructed with the utmost accuracy and theadjustment were perfect the cam on the first-lifted rod would bereleased from the bar, and the rod and its tablet would drop back tonormal position; but it has been found, from practical use of thesemachines, that the release of the elevated rod in this manner cannot bedepended on, for if there be the slightest wear or accumulation of dirt,or the parts be not con- 0 structed with the greatest accuracy and mostdelicately adjusted, the rising rod will often fail to release thepreviously-elevated one.

o insure the release of the first-lifted rod by the lifting of thesecond, I so adjust the 5 parts that the full stroke of a key not onlylifts its red until its cam passes the lower engaging and supportingportion X of the bar K, but moves it a farther distance to cause itsearn to strike against the releasing projection 0 of the bar, which isat a point some distance above the supporting projection X,

and thereby push the bar farther to the rear than'it was moved by thepassage of the cam over its lower edge or projection O, as will beclearly seen in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the dotted lines represent the vertical lines in whichthe extreme rear points of the cams J move, so it will be seen that whenthe bar K is moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 it will be certain torelease any cam which may have been resting on it. As the operated keyis released and its rear end drops back to normal position, the cam onits rod, as the latter begins to descend, is caught on the projection Xof the bar and held up, with its indicator exposed to view. Pins throughthe lower ends of the rods G limit the upward play of said rods bystriking the guide-piece H.

Inasmuch as it is absolutely essential to the proper operation ofmachines of this class that the indicator, which is exposed to view,shall always be dropped out of sight when a second key is operated andanother indicator lifted into view, various means have heretofore beendevised for the purpose of giving the supporting-bar a further movementthan could be given itby the mere passage of thecam on the rising-rod,that most generally employed being a train of independent mechanisminterposed between the keys and the supporting-bar.

Myinvention by simply providing the supporting-bar with both asupporting portion and a releasing portion, both acted on by the cam ona rising tablet-rod in the manner described, does away with thenecessity for any of the independent or auxiliary devices heretoforeemployed, and simplifies and clieapens the construction of theindicating mechanism of these machines. So far as I am aware, I am thefirst to produce an indicator supporting bar of any sort, which isprovided with both a supporting portion and a releasing portion,co-operating. with a series of cams formed upon indicator rods orsupports in the manner described, and my invention therefore is notlimited to any particular form or relative arrangement of the bar andthe cams on the rods, so long as they operate to support and release therods, substantially as hereinbefore described.

The bar K, instead of swinging on pivots,

may be arranged in guides, so that when act uated upon by the cams itwill slide bodily away from the row of rods, instead of swinging in thearc of a circle. Again, the cams may be formed on the sides of the rodsinstead of the rears thereof, and there may be substituted for theswinging bar its known equivalent, a bar extending the whole length ofthe row of rods and sliding in the direction of the length of the row,said bar being provided with a series of projections passing between therods, one for each rod, and each projection having an acting face,substantially like that of the bar K, (shown in the drawings,) a springor weightbeing employed to yieldingly force the projections on the bartoward the cams on the rods, this modification being in fact a merechange of position of the cams with reference to the row of rods,

accompanied with a corresponding change of direction of motion of thesupporting-bar, as will be readily understood.

Inasmuch as my invention has to do with only the indicating mechanism ofthese machines, the mechanism for registering or recording the values ofthe operated keys may be of any usual or suitable character, thatillustrated in the drawings consisting of two banks P Q of individualregistering-wheels carried on horizontal shafts supported in asupplemental frame R, carried by the side frames A A. The wheels of thelower bank are actuated by the weighted dogs S, pivoted to the keys B,and the wheels of the upper bank are turned by and register therevolutions of those in the lower bank in the wellknown manner.

Having thus fully described myinvention, I claim-- In a cash-indicator,the combination of a bar provided with both supporting and releasingportions with a series of indicatorsupports or tablet-rods provided witha single set of cams co-operating with both the supporting and releasingportions of said bar, substantially in the manner and for the purposespecified.

HENRY B. RENWICK.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH GENERT, M. R. SEDGWICK.

